For The One I Love
by Yellow Galex
Summary: Thus, the girl of legend opened the door to another world. [AU]
1. The Girl of Legend Pt 1

A/N: This is a Fushigi Yuugi AU. FY is an animu/mango by Yuu Watase and I own nothing. Not even Love Live.

Character abilities are retained in accordance to their respective celestial symbols. The storyline is generally, but not exactly, similar to the original series, and a lot of references will also appear as needed. Possible OOC alert on Mews members to fit their role in this mysterious play (pun intended). And yes, other pairings will appear in the long run.

This is going to be quite long, and I don't know if I can keep your attention span going with how I write. But in any case, thank you for taking your time to read and I hope you find some enjoyment with this.

For my dearest child and spirit nyanimal Rin Hoshizora's birthday 11.1.15

* * *

 **For The One I Love**

.

Rin loved to look at the stars.

Since young, Rin had been told that the stars each held a meaning, a purpose on someone's life. "Your destiny is written in those stars, my child," her father always said. Fascinating, her younger self thought, but her mind can't completely wrap up on how her life was defined by the millions of stars in the velvet sky. Every time she looked at the glittering dots of light that decorated the night, Rin wondered in vain about how and when will she fulfill the fate that these stars had sealed out for her.

She lived a normal life at the most. The youngest of three sisters, Rin was the closest to her father and had since then tried to follow the footsteps of the old man in the mastery of martial arts. Her father willingly trained her, saying that one day she will need to protect those that she loved and cared for the most. That one day, Rin will meet the person whom she was destined to fight for. The one whom she would not think twice to give up her life for.

The Priestess of Suzaku.

Legend told that a girl from another world will come to save their land when hope already seemed farfetched. It was a legend that was believed, and wished, to be true among the people of Konan whose faith remain strong to the guardian deity Suzaku, the vermillion bird of the south. When the time comes that fate deemed it needed, the Priestess of Suzaku shall arrive; and together with her celestial warriors, the Seven Stars of Suzaku, they shall defend their country and fight for the empire that stood tall with all their might.

Rin found it easy to believe the legend. After all, the mark of a Suzaku warrior was in her forehead – 鬼 – _demon_ , the symbol of a constellation under the beast god of the southern skies. It always appeared every time she needed it most, giving her the power bestowed graciously by Suzaku. She was a living proof, one among the chosen seven, and it only but concealed her destiny as a part of the legend even more. It was a permanent seal that entailed her to fulfill the duty that was given to her right on the day she was born. It was a fate that she can no longer escape.

But Rin still had her doubts.

It all sounded so grand, the power and the life she must live. She wasn't sure, for she didn't know if she can carry the hopes of the people and if she wanted the responsibility itself. Protecting someone from a different world than hers, giving your life for the sake of the only person who can bring the light of hope back to a falling country—

It was frightening.

"It is not a matter of want, Rin. Always remember that," her father told her. "Your life is for the priestess. Only she can help you realize your true destiny."

If this, being a Suzaku warrior – the protector of the girl foretold from a century-old legend was indeed Rin's one true destiny, then maybe there was some way that she could forge it. She never wanted any of this. Protecting someone was one thing, but saving the land of Konan was another.

She wished, on a night where the southern stars shone more brightly than any other, that this girl of legend would never cross paths with her. She wished in her heart to never fulfill the stars' fate for her.

No matter what it took, Rin wished to never meet the Priestess of Suzaku.

* * *

 **Chapter One: The Girl of Legend Pt. 1**

The only daughter of the Nishikino family went back to reading the book lying in front of her. This wasn't her favorite book, no. Who would even consider a thousand-page book on human anatomy a favorite? Not Maki, that was for sure. If not for her father, the great doctor Satoru Nishikino, owner of the biggest and most capable hospital in Tokyo, Maki wouldn't even touch a single page of this dreaded and unwanted book.

"Read lots of books about medicine," her father always said to her. One day, Maki Nishikino will hold the title that both her parents already have, even if that wasn't what she wanted all along.

"I'm going to be a musician. A pianist," Maki declared to herself. Right now, that dream was as vague as someone explaining the nervous system of a cat to an uninterested student. But Maki wasn't giving up. Not just yet.

Eyes tired and her mind the same, she finally closed the thick book, a hand heavily lifting the front cover to shut the millions of unnecessary words out of her sight. Maki got this book earlier today from their mansion's library, all because of her father's orders as usual. And so, deciding to put her wits to rest for the day, she brought the human anatomy bible back to that large room located on the east wing.

The library was one of the few places that Maki appreciated the most inside their lifeless house. Lots of books of different topics and genres were available at the palm of her hand, and it was only when she went to the library could she feel at ease. It was like the books were there as her friends, ready to tell her a different story every time, any time.

While Maki was about to return the book back to where it used to sit on the shelves, a strange red light caught her peripherals. It was coming from underneath a door at one corner of the library, glowing as if it was peeking and trying to call her attention.

And it did, as Maki promptly approached the unfamiliar door that she probably hadn't noticed once with how it camouflaged itself on the dark corner.

"Was there always a door here?"

Curious, she turned the knob slowly and found herself looking at nothing but a pitch-black room that smelled like old books that never saw the light of day for years. A hand instinctively tried to find a light switch on the wall beside the doorway, and fortunately, Maki landed a finger on one.

"Woah."

It was like an extension of the already-enormous library that she had grown to know. She guessed there were about ten more shelves in that unfamiliar room, and probably about a thousand of untouched books that were waiting for someone to open their fading pages again.

 _Good, more books for me to read_.

Still, the red light remained glowing in Maki's sight, dismissing her musings as she dragged her feet to where this mysterious brightness was coming from. There was a book, an old bundle of papers stitched together firmly by a string emitting a bright red light that felt warm in her eyes. Maki had read hundreds of books that distorted reality with its words, and as a logical and rational seventeen year old deemed to stick to the laws of science, she knew that books were not supposed to – and cannot, in any way – produce its own light unless it had been tampered with, like adding some sort of odd feature to capture a child's attention.

Ah, maybe it was a children's book? But since when did a children's book give off such a bright red light? That didn't seem healthy, neither did it seem right, Maki thought to herself.

None of it made any sense, to be honest.

If taking this book was a way to give Maki an answer, then that was what she would do. Hesitantly, she extended her arm towards the book, her fingers shaking faintly as it passed through the strange light wrapped around the curious object. She easily pulled it off from the row of dust-covered books, the light around it disappearing when it lost contact of the shelf. Maki was taken aback for a bit when she saw the title written in Chinese characters.

 _The Universe of the Four Gods_.

Deciding to check first what it was about, Maki clipped her fingers onto the cover of the book. But before she could open it completely, her name suddenly echoed inside the room.

"Maki-chan? What are you doing here?"

"Mama," she gasped. Great timing as always, her mother. "I was just- I was looking for some new books and I found this room, so I checked it out," she lied. Telling her mother that she was drawn here by a glowing red light from the book she was holding might not be a good excuse, she thought.

"This is the restricted area, Maki-chan. Most of what you can find here have been with the family for generations," Yuuki Nishikino, the lady of the household, explained carefully. "Did you find a book anyway, sweetheart?"

Maki gave a glance on the book in her hand, but at the last second she just shrugged. Something in her felt like this book wasn't an ordinary one, and she would like to keep it to herself like a privileged secret only she can know.

"No, there weren't anything interesting so far."

Yuuki just hummed and gestured her dearest daughter outside the room. "Dinner will be ready in a few, sweetie. Your papa won't be able to join us until later but I had the chef cook us his specialty tonight."

Of course her _papa_ can't. But, "You mean tuna penne pasta? With lots of tomatoes?"

"It's you and your papa's favorite, of course."

Maki immediately returned The Universe of the Four Gods on the small space where it used to be, sighing as she turned to walk to where her mother was waiting for her. The mysterious Chinese book can be dealt with some other time.

Dinner sounded nice for the tomato-loving teenager.

* * *

"Maki? Are you still awake?"

The door to her room creaked open so gently, revealing a man in glasses with a similar crimson hair that she had.

"Papa."

Satoru welcomed himself inside his daughter's room, a habit he never died out of despite always being away for the most part of the day due to his work. He may not be beside Maki all the time, but he made sure to check on the young Nishikino whenever he had the chance, even if it was already during the wee hours of the night.

"I just got back from the hospital. Sorry I wasn't able to come for dinner."

Maki shook her head lightly, expressions missing in her features.

She was used to it already.

"You missed out on our favorite pasta again."

"So I heard. I presume you've finished all of it?"

"Of course," she slipped a giggle. Satoru smiled back in relief, noting how refreshing it was to see his daughter look a bit more comfortable around him.

"Can't sleep again?" he asked. Maki only nodded.

"Your mama said you went to the restricted area in the library."

Shoot. Was she not allowed to be there? Her father seemed ready to scold her for something she didn't have any idea of in the first place. If anything, that room should have had at least a sign to keep out or a label that it was a restricted area. She could've taken the clue right away if there were any.

"I- I'm sorry, Papa. I didn't know there was a room there and—"

"Why are you apologizing?" Satoru snickered as he fixed his glasses on his nose and sat on Maki's bedside. "It's okay, Maki. You're free to roam around anywhere. It's your house."

Maki half-smiled in understanding. That should mean that she could go back on that part of the library and take The Universe of the Four Gods with her, right? And maybe a few other interesting books too if she found some.

"Read all the books you want but make sure to keep your list of medicine manuals in check. Okay?"

Oh, who was she kidding. "Yes, Papa. I will. Thank you."

Satoru stared wryly at his daughter. He knew that tone very well. It was a disapproving tone, a tone that even he himself used to have when he was still at Maki's age. However, even then, he was still firm in putting his full trust on Maki. He was sure that the young girl would make the right choice, just like he did.

Or so he hoped.

"Well then, I'll be turning in for the night. Go get some sleep now, you're getting circles under your eyes," he said as he stood up from where he was seated, shaking off the thoughts. He patted a warm hand on Maki's head. "Good night, my princess."

"Good night, Papa."

It was weird, Maki thought, how she seemed to still be deeply attached to her father despite him being the sole reason of her agony about being a doctor. Her father may be too pressed on pushing her to follow his footsteps ever since god knows when, but beneath all that she knew that he was still her _papa_ who once carried her on his shoulders. Her _papa_ who never failed to make her smile when she had a bruise from falling, calling her _his princess_ until the tears were gone.

It sometimes, if not always, made her feel that she can't disappoint him with her choices. But her strong feelings – her love for music – still flickered a pang of dislike towards the man who can't seem to understand her true passion no matter how well she can be as a pianist.

Maki heaved a deep sigh. _I need to stop thinking of these things._

As she was about to tuck herself in the comfort of her sheets, the image of the mysterious book flashed into her mind yet again. This book was disturbing her on a totally different level that even during her wonderful dinner and her much-needed bath time before bed, it was all that Maki's head could ponder about.

"It's my house, huh…" she whispered to herself as she glanced on the digital clock beside the bed.

3:43 AM.

Ever so subtly, she snuck her way across the halls of the Nishikino manor and found herself inside the library on the east wing. It didn't matter that she was just clad in her pink pajamas and her slippers. She was just going to grab the book real quick and take it back to her room where she could read it in peace.

The door to the restricted area opened for the second time that day, and the same red light that captured Maki's attention was shining brightly again. It was beginning to creep her out, but her curiosity was far greater than her budding fear right now among anything.

"This better be worth it."

In one swift move, Maki removed the book from the shelves, losing its vibrant red once again just like earlier. She made sure to leave the door closed before she went back, gripping tightly on the book that she kept secure between her arm and her chest.

Nothing happened, so it seemed, as she made her way back to her room unnoticed. Not like anyone was ever going to notice, her room was a good twenty steps away from her parents' own. Still, it was the first time that she sneaked around the huge house at night, and it all felt so silly and fulfilling considering how she never had the guts to do that because she was afraid of being scolded had she gotten caught.

 _It's your house, Maki. What are you even afraid of_ , she reiterated in her mind.

The Universe of the Four Gods was now in her grasp and... it wasn't doing anything weird. Quite frankly, it just looked like some plain old book that probably existed for more than a century or so with how the covers were withering out. Maki contemplated whether to read it while lying in bed or if she would sit on her study table like she always did, but she just instantly decided to read the first page _right now_ while she was still standing beside the door. The curiosity in her was burning too hard already.

"Thus, the girl of legend opened the door to another world."

So this one was a novel? An ancient Chinese novel translated to Japanese, probably. A small note written at the bottom of the cover said that a certain Einosuke Okuda provided the translation, so there was that.

Regardless, the characters written exquisitely in brush and ink were making Maki feel more and more eager to read. She rarely came across books fully printed in such.

So she continued.

"This is a story of a girl who single-handedly gathered the Seven Stars of Suzaku and gained the power to make all her dreams come true. The story itself is an incantation, and the one who reads it through shall be given these powers and have their wishes granted, just like the girl in the story. Because, the story begins and becomes real as soon as the first page is turned."

Maki paused and broke her eyes off the book, blindly turning the first page. "What does that even mean?" she asked herself.

Suddenly—

Red.

The blinding red light was coming off again from the book, and it was shining recklessly right on top of Maki's hands, right in front of her very eyes. She wasn't sure what to do, but her hands didn't seem to have any plans of letting go of the book.

Her body suddenly felt like it was being sucked. Pulled, dragged, forcibly being taken by something that she didn't understand. Desperate, Maki tried to hold on to the nearest thing she could grab – the jacket that hung on the coat rack that stood the closest to her. It wasn't the best decision, she realized seconds after, because it didn't do any help against the pulling sensation that she helplessly felt.

She screamed. Or maybe she was only trying to, she didn't know anymore. All that she processed at the time was the bright red light, the feeling of being flushed, and the sight of her room slowly disappearing from her eyes.

Moments later, her room was back to being embraced by darkness.

No sounds coming from anything, no light to illuminate the four walls of her only refuge.

Nothing.

The Universe of the Four Gods lay on the floor closed.

And Maki was nowhere to be found.

* * *

.

A/N 2: If you're familiar with Fushigi Yuugi, you probably know how all of these would go down. But as mentioned earlier, the original storyline is only the pattern. A lot of plot points, the meetings of the priestess and her warriors, as well as the conflicts vs Seiryuu camp – most of it will be altered for convenience to fit how -this- story would go. It wouldn't be as fun to imagine these guys as FY characters if we don't shake up some things a bit, don't you think? Lel

I'm not sure how frequent this will be updated, but please do share your thoughts if you have the time. So far a couple of chapters already have an outline and the character meetings are already drawn in my head. I just need to write my arse off so this AU can progress. Wish me a lot of luck haha

Also, Fushigi Yuugi = Mysterious Play. In case the pun didn't work :))


	2. The Girl of Legend Pt 2

A/N: Trigger warning – attempted raep. Keyword attempted.

* * *

 **Chapter Two: The Girl of Legend Pt. 2**

Her head was throbbing at the hardest it could. Include her arms that felt like it lifted a thousand pounds, her legs that were too numb to even move an inch, her body that seemed to be carrying an invisible weight as it lay, and her eyes that were—

"What the…"

Maki couldn't believe her eyes.

Her muscle control had seemed to return completely in her shock as she quickly stood up like she wasn't in pain just seconds ago. She spun confusedly on where she was standing, scanning the environment that wasn't all familiar to her.

"Whe- Where am I?!"

Under her feet was a field of grass stretched downhill and she was standing on the topmost of it. To her left and right, it was nothing but a view of sky blue and cotton clouds. Behind her, it was a highway. Maybe a dirt road, it wasn't concrete. She can see a cart being pulled by a small horse coming, so she guessed that it might be a pathway of some sort.

But what was in front of her was the most eye-catching.

It was a big city. Or a town, she wasn't sure what to call it. Either way, it was filled of structures that stood out with roofs of identical color – red. People were roaming on the walkways in between these buildings, and they were all wearing a style of clothing far different from what Maki was used to wearing everyday.

But why did this entire scene look like she was in ancient China?

"Wait." Maki gasped, a look of realization dawning on her features. Now she remembered – The Universe of the Four Gods book. The Chinese novel from the library that she was just reading.

Could it be…?

No, no, no. Just no. That was… that was impossible! Sure, that book was already weird with all that strange red light coming from it, but Maki was certainly not convinced that she was _inside_ that old book. By what miracle could she be inside that bizarre book? While it _did_ say something about opening a door to another world, and it _did_ also say that it was an incantation that becomes _real_ once the first page was turned, it was still only just a book.

"Books can't do _that_ ," she laughed nervously. "T-That can't be true, right?"

Lifting her right arm, Maki tried to collect herself by placing a hand on her temple. It was only now that she realized that she was holding something: a jacket.

The memory of her pulling on the gray coat before she woke up finally crossed her mind. The red light, something dragging her, her fading room. It hit her now like a truck, which only made Maki even more confused because it all felt so real. Even her own body felt real – she tried to pinch herself on her arm and it just hurt way too much for everything to be a dream. A slap on the face might work better, but Maki wasn't a fan of hurting herself to even dare to continue with it.

In any case, whether this was a dream or reality wasn't the fundamental question right now. The first thing Maki needed and wanted to know was, where exactly on earth was she and how can she get back to her house in Tokyo. There were lots of people in that big city in front of her who looked trustworthy enough; surely at least one of them can answer her questions and help her.

What could possibly happen, anyway?

* * *

"Good morning, Nishikino-san!"

"Oh, good morning, Hanayo-chan! You girls have a study session this weekend?"

"Yes. Entrance exams are closing in and I'm getting more nervous. Ehe~"

Yuuki smiled fondly at her daughter's childhood friend and classmate, Hanayo Koizumi. The same age as Maki, Hanayo had been like a second daughter for the Nishikinos. She was well-mannered, mostly shy and soft-spoken, but still very friendly and caring especially when it came to Maki. The two had known each other since kindergarten and had never left each other's side since.

"I'm sure you'll both get in to the universities you're aiming for, Hanayo-chan. And oh, Maki-chan should be in her room. She hasn't gone out there yet for some reason," Yuuki worriedly eyed a random window on their house before settling herself inside her car. It was unlikely of Maki to not get up early. "Well, I need to go to the hospital now. Please tell her to wake up and eat some breakfast for me, could you, Hanayo-chan?"

"Will do, Nishikino-san. Take care!" Hanayo waved as the grown woman finally took off.

The Nishikino mansion was huge, but Hanayo already knew the ins and outs of the house like the back of her hand. She might even know this mansion better than her way around Tokyo. After all, she had always been invited here for sleepovers since they were kids and for random get-togethers when Maki was left alone during the weekends. They had already skimmed through all the halls and rooms in this place during those times. Finding her way around the mansion she already considered her second home was as easy as finishing a bowl of white rice.

"Maki-chan? It's Hanayo," she knocked politely on the door upon reaching her best friend's room. She waited for the usual monotonous response of 'come in' for a few seconds but no one was answering.

 _Is she really still asleep? It's 6 AM already._

Quiet as a doe, Hanayo turned the doorknob and peeked her curious head inside first. The room looked pretty normal, neat and tidy as always. But when she finally opened the door completely, the sight of a fallen coat rack on the floor greeted her to her surprise. She frowned at the unusual scene, but she quickly erased the crease of her brows when she saw a book lying on the floor.

" _Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho?_ " Hanayo whispered slowly. She fixed her eyeglasses with a finger and bent her body halfway forward, squinting her eyes at the text on the book cover. "That should be… book of the- book of the Universe of the Four Gods. Am I right?"

She wasn't sure if she read the title correctly since it was in Chinese characters. Her knowledge of Hanzi and Kanji was sufficient but it wasn't as great compared to Maki's. In fact, Maki was the one who taught her the majority of the complicated Chinese characters that she knew. Sharing any useful knowledge with each other was an unspoken agreement between the two.

"Well this seems interesting," she brightened up. Seeing that her best friend wasn't going to meet her yet from wherever she was inside the house, Hanayo picked up the book and put the coat rack back to its place. The comfy chair that rest beside Maki's study table looked good, and she quickly opened the book on her hand to its first page once she was seated.

"… I see. A girl from another world, huh?" she nodded as she finished the introduction. She liked speaking her thoughts while reading. "As expected of Maki-chan's tastes in story books."

With a light turn of the delicate paper, Hanayo continued.

"It was as if it was a calling on her as the girl found herself wandering through the streets of the place that she had no idea of. She tried approaching and asking people of her questions, but she couldn't help but notice the bewilderment they all had in their eyes…"

* * *

 _Is there something on my face or what?_

Maki kept catching the stares of the townsfolk but they quickly broke eye contact with her whenever they met her amethysts. She had attempted asking four or five people already about where she was but whenever she went near them, they would either walk away from her without a single word or just gaze at her dumbfoundedly like a bronze statue. In a way, she would like to believe that they just hadn't seen a very beautiful girl like her before based on their odd reactions. However, the confusion and judgment she often recognized in their eyes was telling her a lot otherwise.

Perhaps it was because she was shamelessly walking around their town wearing a set of bright pink pajamas and a gray coat that didn't look anything like what everyone else was wearing. It was only her clothing that greatly differed from the sea of people wearing traditional Chinese clothes, so yeah. That might be one of the reasons.

 _Fine. Just wait until you people see me wearing something better._

As she continued to roam around the place, Maki was also welcomed with sceneries that she had never witnessed and enjoyed quite heartily before. There was a street circus with talented performers and big animals, the sight of delighted people sharing stories that only they knew, different kinds of souvenir shops of everything cheap and fancy, and lots of bountiful restaurants ready to cater to old and new customers left and right.

She had traveled through a lot of countries already since childhood but the awe-inspiring tour she was taking in right now just easily defeated all of those expensive trips. She hadn't even walked through the entire town just yet and it already felt so breathtaking with each turn. What more of this place could be possibly waiting for her to see?

If only she could stay here forever, she suddenly thought. If only she could live in a simple, dream-like place such as this. Maybe she'd have a happier life than what she already had back in Tokyo. Maybe, she'd be able to follow what her heart truly desired without disappointing anyone. And maybe, she'd have a better chance at being free.

Maybe. Always maybe.

Feeling that her feet were beginning to strain, Maki settled to tread to the nearest empty alley that she found. She sat on a sturdy-looking wooden box and started to entertain her random musings again, lightly flailing her legs to and fro as her dust-kissed feet began to soothe itself from all the walking.

"I wonder if Hanayo would like this place," she smiled to herself, remembering her cheery best friend from out of the blue. Hanayo liked traveling as much as her and this place looked like something that the rice enthusiast would love. "But how do I even get out of here anyway. These people still won't to talk to me, ugh."

"Hello, miss."

Maki quickly shifted her eyes to where the anonymous greeting came from. A young man, probably in his early twenties and dressed in the same Chinese clothing as the other townspeople, was standing just a few steps away from her with both hands placed on his back.

"I really couldn't help but notice you while you walked around the market, miss. And I was wondering, are you, by any chance, lost?"

Among other things, Maki was good in judging people from the many years of her aloofness and self-training so as to avoid 'friends' who only want her for the money. Hanayo was the only one she proved to be different apart from the few others she still reluctantly trusted, but the main point of everything was that she was really good in reading people's intent. And right now, as she stared into the eyes of the young man who stood confidently beside her, talking in perhaps the friendliest tone he can muster within him…

Maki was a hundred and ten percent sure that he was up to no good, even if he was the first person to talk to her with more than five words.

"I'm not lost. I'm just traveling through here to spend the time," she replied rather coldly.

"Oh. I see," the man was obviously disappointed. "I just thought you needed someone to show you around Konan. You do look like a foreign traveler. I guess I was mistaken."

 _Konan? Is that the name of this place?_ "I'm fine by myself. But thank you anyway. Excuse me," she said.

Maki finally decided to storm out of the unwanted conversation as she jumped off from the comfort of the wooden box. Only a few steps were taken, however, and she quickly found herself in a complete stop.

"Where are you going, miss?"

She _knew_ this would happen.

Five creepy men started to swarm her, the young man who talked to her included. They all had mischief in their eyes, piercing through her own as they smiled hungrily like a predator ready to attack. Three of them had small knives in their hands and that was all what Maki needed to finally start feeling the fear and panic in her chest.

"What do you want?" she bravely shouted. It was all she could do.

"You're the one who came here in our alley, missy. Shouldn't we be asking you that?"

"Hey, why's this one wearing strange clothes?"

"Who cares? We could make a big fortune out of it. Not to mention she's a good-looking one, too."

"Heh, real good-looking I must say."

This didn't look so good anymore. How _and_ why did she even casually decide to spend her time in this alley? What was she actually thinking? Alleys were always a bad place for young girls everywhere, especially if it was eerily empty and way too far from where all the people were.

 _This one's your mistake, Maki._

"So? Are you going to join us quietly or do we have to force you to?"

"Come with us, little missy."

"We're gonna have a _good_ time."

Frowning as hard as she can, Maki pushed the breath she'd been holding too long out of her nose.

"And what if I don't want to?"

The one to reply to her smirked menacingly. "Oh, you _would_ want to, little missy. 'Cuz it ain't gonna be pretty if you don't."

Lips pursed with the remaining courage in her, Maki gritted her teeth and she cursed under her shaky breath. She could at least try to get out of this mess.

 _Try._

In a sudden movement, Maki charged her way towards one of the shady men that circled her in.

"Get out of my way!" she shouted.

Unfortunately, the other men quickly moved towards her as soon as she made her own. She may have successfully brought down one of the five, but men with malicious intent always proved to be the fastest and strongest when it came to catching their prey.

"Oh no you don't, little missy!"

She felt a strong grip choking her right arm much to her horror. A second later, someone pulled her from the back, clutching on her jacket so violently that it made her fall out of balance and slam painfully down on the ground without warning.

"You wanna do this the hard way? Then so be it!" one of the men shouted.

Her arms and legs were now pinned down with so much force that she had never once imagined. She was shouting for help at the top of her lungs, at the loudest that her voice could reach, but it all just faded hopelessly in the air as the men started to forcefully remove her clothes.

"Someone make her shut up!"

Maki desperately tried to break free with what remained of her measly strength. What ever happened to the wonderful time she just had? The beautiful sceneries and the happy people that she saw? What of the peace and simplicity that she found around this place?

What was this nightmare?

"This'll teach you to just follow as told!"

The man hovered on top of her lifted his right hand, ready to slap the life out of her and put her in an uncalled for slumber.

Maki closed her tearful eyes.

 _Somebody help me._

 _Please._

 _Anyone…_

 _Hanayo…!_

* * *

"Eh?"

Hanayo suddenly turned to her back, alarmed.

She was still alone inside Maki's room.

"I swear I heard Maki-chan's voice calling me just now. Weird..."

Pouting in wonder, Hanayo started contemplating if she just hallucinated her friend's voice or if it was only the glorious rice balls in her bag calling on to her. Could it be that Maki was outside the room already and slipped, and she needed her help? But it had been a while now since she heard Maki's voice. Her best friend should've called on to her again if that was the case.

She decided that it was only the rice balls.

"Let's eat!" she exclaimed as she took a bite from her favorite food. Maki sure wouldn't mind. "Ahh~ rice is the best!"

After a few hearty chews, she moved her sights back on the book. She was feeling somewhat dejected and nervous right now, oddly enough, like a feeling something closely related to fear although there wasn't any telling if it really was. It might only be her empathy towards the words in the story, Hanayo considered, since most well-written books always affected her that much.

"I hope someone could help the girl," she commented softly before continuing her reading.

"… All hope seemed to be lost, and the girl was left silencing her cries as the goons continued to grapple her with unmatched intensity. Her will was already shifting thin as a silk thread, when suddenly…"

* * *

"Oi! Who are you?!"

Maki started to hear punches after one of the men shouted. Several punches, and maybe some kicks too, were resounding so loud in contact as the heinous men all groaned in sheer pain. Her arms and legs were free again from how it was dreadfully held down on the floor; and just as Maki realized it, she frantically crawled on her hands and knees to get to a corner away from where the brawl was folding out.

"Come at me, you no-good thugs!"

Someone wearing a blue-green robe which flowed freely to where the ruthless punches and kicks were perfectly aimed at was now there. A good person, they must be, capped of fiery orange locks that cut itself at neck length and a black strip of cloth tied around their head finally came to her rescue, just in the nick of time.

Somebody came for Maki and answered her cries.

Someone whose voice was…

"Oh come on, I've had better fights with women!"

 _A girl?_

One by one, Maki's attackers rushed desperately towards the girl dressed in boys' clothing. They were throwing useless punches at her that only kept landing in the air, and their sharp knives were slashing nothing but the sprinkles of dust that had started to come up everywhere. The fracas was obviously one-sided no matter how Maki looked at it, and thankfully enough, it was not in favor of the five perverse men.

"You thugs can't even pick on someone your own size, can ya? Ha!"

Maki could swear that the young girl was doing some form of martial arts. No, she was sure that the girl was doing martial arts and she was very good at it. It wasn't any wonder now why the much larger and taller men didn't even put up a good match against the girl. Her savior, a girl whom Maki guessed to be someone around her age, was just too skilled for all of the men combined.

A few more cries of pain and wails of defeat happened next and the five attackers finally gave up the fight. They ran off for their lives away from the alley, whereas Maki was still gaping in terror as she remained shaking in the safety of her corner. Her breathing was too ragged and short in each gasp, but she only stared intently at her savior who by now was walking gallantly in quiet steps to her direction.

"Are you hurt?" the girl asked her.

Maki wasn't able to catch how and when, but the black strip of cloth tied around her savior's head was now gone.

And what she can see, albeit the short bangs of orange that rested on top of it, was a character glowing in bright red on the girl's forehead.

鬼

 _Demon._


	3. Troublemakers

**Chapter Three: Troublemakers**

The red mark on the girl's forehead was glowing too brightly for Maki to take her eyes off of it.

It wasn't as if the character for demon, or _oni_ , was uncommon for Maki to be amazed at the mere sight of it. She had seen this character so many times already, but not once did she encounter it tattooed on someone's forehead while glowing in a captivating crimson that looked so, so…

Stunning.

And she rarely ever used the word stunning to describe anything.

"Uhm, did they hit you badly anywhere, miss? You haven't talked for a while now…"

"Y-Your forehead…" Maki finally spoke, although stuttering, and she hesitantly lifted a finger to point at the strange marking. "W-Why is it g-glowing…?"

The girl in front of Maki suddenly moved her hand up to her head, shocked in finally realizing that something really important was missing from her. Erasing the worry from her face, she quickly spun to look back on where the fight just happened and nervously eyed any sign of the black cloth that was supposed to be tied tightly around her head.

"Oh man, why is this always happening?!" the girl grunted as her nimble feet hurried to where she found the cloth lying sloppily on the dusty ground. She picked up the black piece of fabric, grasped it tightly in a balled fist, and she was just about to flee the scene without another word but Maki thought otherwise.

"Wait! Don't go!" Maki yelled, her voice breaking from tiredness due to the recent happenings that unfolded. She couldn't possibly let the girl go without even knowing who she was. Maki also needed answers to her burning questions already, the stunning symbol on the girl's forehead included. "Who- Who are you? And where am I?"

The questioned girl stopped on her feet at the struggled shout but only her back remained facing Maki. She never really planned to make small talk with the redhead from the very moment she decided to take on the five weakling thugs. Just now, however, when she started walking towards the helpless stranger who was shaking at one corner of the alley, it was an action that she just intuitively followed like it was her body's own doing and not her mind as per usual.

It was as if a weird magnet pulled her nearer to Maki, and it was all but peculiar if anything.

"I get it, y'know," she said coldly without moving an inch. "I'm some freak with a glowing symbol on my forehead. No need to rub it in and know my name so you could tell everyone. They already know anyway."

Maki was left stunned at the bitter reply. Where was that coming from? She never mentioned anything about the girl being a freak or whatnot, hadn't she? True, the symbol may be piquing her curiosity on an inappropriate height, but right now, she was also just honestly interested to know the identity of her knight in a not-shining armor, no petty judgment involved for once.

"I-I never said any of that," Maki slowly took more steps closer to the other girl, her knees still a little weak from the shock of being almost violated. "I… I just want to know where this place is, that's all…"

Silence.

Sighing deeply, Maki continued softly, "I also… I only want to know your name so I can thank you properly. I really thought I was a goner but… you saved me."

It might have been the way Maki's voice sounded so pitiful and defeated, but her savior slowly faced her again, chartreuse eyes landing directly on Maki's amethysts with a scrutinizing look. But it didn't look offensive, those eyes. It actually seemed really friendly and curious, like a playful cat.

"What are you doing here all alone anyway? It's very dangerous to stay in these alleys by yourself, you know," her savior spoke first. The demon symbol was gone on her forehead now, leaving Maki even more puzzled as she averted her eyes on the girl's reprimand.

"I-I know that," Maki replied defensively, twirling the ends of her hair with two fingers out of bad habit. Softening her voice, she added, "… I'm just lost."

"So where are you from then?" the other girl followed up in a friendlier tone.

"M-Me?"

"Of course you, silly. Are you from a province here in Konan Country? I'm from Hakukou Village, are you familiar with that? It's not surprising if you're not, though. And what's with your clothes by the way? You a foreigner or something?"

That… was a barrage of questions that Maki had not prepared for. 'Konan Country' just can't ring any bells inside her geography-smart head so she was sure that it wasn't anywhere on Japan, and not even anywhere on Earth as a matter of fact. Her clothes, of course she already knew that her clothes were odd. She was still on her bright pink pajamas, thankfully, for her gray coat was the only thing removed from her by the vile men who attacked her. Then again, if Maki did consider that she was inside a book, an answer stating that she was from the _real world_ and that she just came here through some old Chinese novel she found in the library might make her sound… weird.

And crazy.

"Um… I'm from somewhere very far from here," she simply said. It wasn't far from the truth, though.

"Hehh? So you're from a different country, huh? I knew it," the young girl obviously looked more curious now with her manner of speaking, head tipped a bit backwards and all. "Maybe you're from Hokkan? Is the snow really great in the north? We don't get any snow here in Konan, it's unfair."

"N-No, I'm not from there."

"Oh? Sairou then? I've always wanted to visit Sairou since I was little, you know. Fall season is the best there, I heard."

"No… not there too."

"Not there too? Hmm…" the girl pouted, and then she gasped. "Don't tell me… don't tell me you're from Kutou! You're a spy, aren't ya? Aren't ya?!"

"What? No! I don't even know all the places you're saying!" Maki stomped a foot and closed her fists. Her patience was rapidly wearing thin now with how her savior was being too inquisitive. "Look, I just want to know how to get out of here so I can go home. Can you please just help me with that?"

"Well, it depends."

"Huh?"

"It depends! You seem very suspicious now that I really look at you. You're very pretty y'know but your entire look just kinda screams Kutou to me. It's evil!"

"Excuse me?!" Maki shrieked, jaw dropped. Being described as evil was certainly a first. And to think that it even came from someone who had a character for demon appearing on her forehead.

The guts.

"I already told you, I don't really know what's this- this Kutou place you keep saying, okay?! And why am I even arguing with you? You're the one who's evil, I mean you even have that demon thing on your forehead!"

"Hey! Don't involve my forehead here!" the girl frowned and placed a hand on her temple, although she might have been laughing a little, too. "You're the one dressed in funny clothes, lost girl. Where'd you even get those from?"

"This is how we dress in Tokyo, you idiot!" Maki finally countered in frustration. Not a second was gone and she already realized what she just said. "Ah—! I, I mean…!" she lightly placed a hand over her mouth, then she crossed her arms as she flicked her embarrassed face to the side. "This- this is how we d-dress in my hometown! It's none of your business okay stop asking me so many questions jeez!"

 _Great, now she's going to think that I'm weird and I'm lying._

From the orange-haired girl's eyes, Maki really didn't look like someone from a distant province of Konan or from any of the three other countries she mentioned. Never had she had any memory of a clothing style as unique as what the redhead was wearing. And the place she just heard – Tokyo, was it? That also didn't sound like it was from anywhere in the world.

In _her_ world, to be exact.

 _Ah, this is so bad_ , the girl thought to herself with a sigh. She really hoped that Maki wasn't the _someone_ whom she was trying to avoid at all costs, but it seemed like Suzaku had already tricked her into saving the very person she was destined to meet from the start.

Scratching the back of her head, the girl smiled wryly and said, "Welp, I guess I'll just see you around, lost girl." She turned around again, hopefully for the last time in front of Maki today, and started walking heavily towards the narrow exit of the alley, waving a hand of goodbye to the frowning stranger. Getting involved further with Maki at this point was probably the last thing she needed, she thought guiltily.

Maki did not approve of this, of course.

"Seriously? You're just going to leave like that?!" she practically screamed. She did not just waste her time answering questions without even getting her own set of questions satisfied. Regardless if the girl was her savior or not, and regardless if she already sounded like a loony when she accidentally shouted Tokyo to her, Maki believed that she deserved a better treatment for someone who just bluntly admitted that she was lost in an unfamiliar land.

Quickly grabbing her dust-filled jacket on the floor, Maki ran after the young girl who just turned left from out of the alley. That should probably lead back to the busy part of town as far as what Maki can remember.

"Hey! Don't just—"

Except, when she finally took the left turn herself without even a minute of interval, the orange-haired girl was already nowhere in sight.

 _Where did she go?!_

Walking confusedly, Maki tried to search for her savior again, her head turning left and right to match the every step that she took, wondering the entire time why the girl just left her hanging so suddenly like that. She was now back in the marketplace, streets flocked with people chattering and laughing the day away but she never saw the orange-haired girl again no matter how far her sandy feet had reached.

She was back to zero on her dilemma now, unfortunately. So much for luck.

* * *

"I'm looking for a girl with orange hair? The one with a symbol on her forehead?"

No.

"Have you seen a girl with orange hair? She's only a bit taller than me and she has a symbol on her forehead that glows in bright red."

They never saw her anywhere. Not today, at least.

"I'm just looking for… For someone with…"

"Oh, you're looking for the young girl with the symbol? I haven't seen her around here so far."

Excellent, looks like she finally got something. "Do you really know this girl, sir? Does she have the red symbol on her forehead?" she asked the street vendor eagerly.

"Yip, sure do! Often walks around here and plays with the children all day, that kid. Usually she eats lunch at that ramen restaurant down the street. You might want to check there if you haven't yet."

 _Bingo_. "Thank you, sir. Thank you so much!" Maki bowed deeply again and again. She wasn't even sure anymore why she was still insistent in finding her savior. There were probably other people she could talk to now, like that kind street vendor for example, or the other townsfolk who weren't too bothered anymore about her odd clothing. It was just that, her instincts kept telling her that her savior – her chivalrous, inquisitive, annoyingly talkative hot-and-cold hero – had the right answers to her own barrage of questions. The girl did save her once already, so. The trust factor was already there, or something like that.

Upon reaching the ramen restaurant, she immediately let her eyes wander through every breathing being that she saw in the place. All of them were looking at her in shock, in curiosity, in fear even, but none of them had the short fiery orange hair that she was only looking for. She didn't even notice the waitress asking her at the door if she would like a seat.

Shoulders dropped again, Maki headed back out to the busy streets in dire failure. The girl in boys' clothing probably had no plans of showing herself anymore, even though Maki still didn't have any idea why her savior would just abruptly leave her like that after everything that had happened. Going to that ramen restaurant was suicidal, in fact, for it only reminded her that she hadn't eaten anything yet for the past… how many hours was it now? She hadn't tracked the time at all since she woke up and there weren't any signs of clocks around the place. Based on how the people horded the restaurants, however, it was probably around noon already. Lunch time, in other words.

Her own growling stomach said so, too.

"Vegetables! Vegetables and fruits! We've got all that you need here – cabbages, eggplants, tomatoes, oranges, whatever you might need! We've got all the freshest vegetables and fruits here!"

Okay, she did not just hear tomatoes.

Following the voice of the vendor, her bulging eyes immediately spotted the red and round fruit that she loved the most. Her stomach grumbled louder in excitement as she walked over to the small stand, terribly happy in seeing that the tomatoes were as fresh as it can be and the reddest it could get.

If there was anything that could legitimately make Maki lose all of her senses, it was none other than the sight of fresh, drool-worthy stack of red tomatoes.

"How much for a piece of tomato?" Maki asked, trying not to look too excited to get a hold of the splendid fruits in front of her.

"Just one silver ryo apiece, young lady!"

Crap. _Silver ryo?_ Of course the money and currency would be different. And even if this Konan Country used Japanese yen, Maki just realized that she didn't even have a single penny with her right now. She never had a habit of leaving small change in her pockets, so there was nothing in her jacket to be of use to pay. She could probably trade something expensive, like a watch or a necklace or earring, but she wasn't wearing any of her accessories because she didn't exactly like sleeping with those.

Oh wait. There was one accessory she was _always_ wearing.

Her friendship ring from Hanayo.

It was made of white gold and could make for a good bargain of different fruits, maybe even meat and some bread on the side considering the kind of market that this foreign place had. Then again…

 _No. Not this one,_ Maki thought with a fond smile, finding herself touching the shiny piece looped tightly around her right ring finger. It was the ring that symbolized Maki and Hanayo's friendship of many years, and both of them always wore the pair that they bought for each other from when they turned thirteen. That ring was very important, and it definitely didn't deserve to be traded just for some food in an unfamiliar place.

"Look out!"

"Aah!" Maki shouted as she lost her balance and almost fell full-on to the stack of tomatoes adjacent to her. Some running guy hit her on her back and didn't even stop to apologize. The push really felt intentional, too.

"You okay there, young lady?" the vendor asked her after she regained some composure. Good thing she didn't hit any of the goods from the stand. How can she pay for any damages when she can't even buy one tomato, really.

Maki nodded, "I'm okay, thank you," and then she just started walking to nowhere again, giving up on ever buying her favorite fruit for today's lunch. Unfortunately, she didn't even get past three footsteps on her resumed journey before she was stopped on her feet once again.

"Hold it right there, young lady!"

Maki turned around by impulse and she saw the fruits vendor marching over to her with a nasty frown.

"Where's the tomato you took?"

"Hah?" she quickly replied with a scowl of her own. "I didn't take a tomato!"

"Don't play dumb with me, thief! I know how many tomatoes are piled together in each row of my wooden rack! There're two tomatoes missing after you were gone, so it only means that you took it!"

"What? I just said I didn't take any! You can look at my pockets if you want!"

The vendor suddenly grabbed her tightly by the arm. "That guy who pushed you was probably a part of your act! You already passed the tomato to him, didn't you?! Guards!"

Almost all the people walking around them had their attention solely on Maki by now. She was already used to getting too much of such, but this kind of spotlight was way different from what she had grown up to.

"What happened here?" one of the capital guards that responded asked the disgruntled vendor. There were four of them who approached, all wearing armors that looked similar to that of the Terracotta warriors that Maki had read about in history books, and they were also holding spears of long staff with a red accent just below its steel tip.

"This shameless thief here stole two tomatoes from my stand. Arrest her and have her hands slashed! These thieves need to learn when to quit!"

"But I really didn't steal anything!" Maki tried to appeal in horror and turned to the guard talking to the vendor. "You have to believe me, sir! I am not a thief!"

"Just explain yourself to the captain, young lady," the guard said as he took Maki's hands to tie it with a rope. "Come with us quietly if you don't want a punishment to be done here at once."

Strangely, the three other capital guards standing at the back of the one talking to Maki just suddenly stood straight as if they were saluting and acknowledging the presence of an important entity. All the whispering from the snooping townspeople also died out, leaving both Maki and the lead guard to wonder what just happened, the roping of her hands left unfinished.

"What's this commotion all about?"

A small figure was behind them, hands on the back, dressed in an armor so different from the capital guards that Maki easily reckoned that it was a high-ranking officer. The red-stricken body armor looked way thicker and stronger, and the iron headdress alone had a more intricate molding to it with how it efficiently enveloped the officer's head.

"Lu- Lieutenant," the guard muttered and bowed his head after realizing who paid them a visit. "T-This girl is accused of theft. She shall be taken to the captain right away for further judgment."

The one addressed as the lieutenant faced Maki, ruby eyes shining in the noon sun upon looking up. Maki swore that she was just judged by this… this smaller person with the devious glare that she saw. It was irking, but she wasn't in the position to roll her eyes right now unfortunately.

"And just what did you steal today, young lady?" the lieutenant asked, speaking in a less commanding tone that revealed a rather high-pitched woman's voice.

"She stole two tomatoes from me!" the vendor quickly chimed in. The lieutenant only gave a blank stare to the loud man, making him step back immediately like a scolded pup. "I am talking to the girl," she said flatly.

Maki gulped and shook her nervous head. "I-I didn't steal anything, ma'am. The vendor is mistaken!"

"Mm-hhm." The lieutenant squinted her eyes. "I haven't seen you around here before. Are you a traveler?"

Maki almost just whispered, "S-Sort of…"

"Sort of?"

"I, Um… I'm actually lost…" she reasoned again. Her eyes were already brimming with tears by now and that was very unlikely of her, to be honest. Why was trouble following her in this place so much anyway? First, she almost got violated in an alley because of her rare stupidity. She got saved by an unnamed hero, but she still ended up alone again after solving nothing about her dilemma. Now, to top it all off, she was on the brink of getting arrested _and_ having her hands slashed for theft.

And she didn't even take the tomatoes for crying out loud!

"P-Please believe me, ma'am!" Maki continued despite the heavy feeling in her chest. Pleading was not a part of Maki Nishikino's style, but she had to swallow her pride. "I-I was just looking for s-someone, that's why I was going around… I didn't steal those tomatoes, I really swear!"

The lieutenant fell silent, pondering. The crimson-haired girl, she considered, was probably telling the truth about being lost. More importantly, those _hideous_ exotic clothes had better have a real interesting explanation behind it with how it looked so out of this world. It might just be a coincidence that she found herself in the marketplace that day, but crossing paths with the strange girl was clearly a sign of something.

"Let her go," the lieutenant ordered, giving Maki a chance to brighten up her features. However, all of her gladness just immediately disappeared with the officer's next words. "I'll assume responsibility of this girl. Hand her over to me."

"But Lieutenant—"

"You heard me clearly, didn't you? Hand her over to me and I'll deem her judgment in the palace."

The capital guard just bowed to the smaller officer and pushed Maki gently forward. "As you wish, Lieutenant Yazawa."

Before a trembling Maki was seized in the hands of this Lieutenant Yazawa, strange noises suddenly started blasting around them and a thick white smoke surrounded them next. At the following second, Maki realized, she was already being carried in the arms of a mysterious person away from where all the people were still confusedly gathered in the market.

"You looked so pitiful back there I just had to do something, you know. Even if I really didn't want to."

That voice.

That very familiar and relieving voice!

"You owe me two favors now, lost girl."

Maki's vision became clearer as they jumped farther and past the area enclosed in thick smoke. They stopped in a part of the marketplace where there weren't any people walking by, and soon, Maki finally saw that the fiery orange whom she sought for in almost the entire noon was holding her up in a princess carry position, bringing her to safety once again when she needed it most.

"Y-You… You are…"

"Call me Rin. Sorry if I just left you back there earlier," she grinned. Maki kept staring again, but it was not because of a glowing symbol this time which was already covered by the black strip of cloth on Rin's head.

The megawatt smile. It was the first time that Maki saw that kind of a _stunning_ smile.

"Aren't you gonna tell me your name now, lost girl?"

"I- I… My name?" Maki was still disoriented. "I'm… I'm Maki..."

"Maki? Nice," Rin nodded. "Listen, I'm going to help you find your way home so we can _avoid_ things in case you really are the—" There was a slight pause. "But anyway! We better get moving fast. Those guards have been scattered everywhere recently."

Rin was about to let go of a still gaping Maki from her arms when a piercing shout rang in their ears.

"There they are!"

Apparently, Rin's words held true after a bigger number of capital guards started trapping them in a circle. The guards didn't hesitate to point their weapons at the both of them, having the annoyed lieutenant commanding them nearby to seize them right away.

And then there was a red light. Again.

The bright red light was there again and it wasn't coming from a book or any object. Maki herself was emitting the light from her body as if she was being devoured by it while she was still on Rin's arms. She raised her hands to her face level, slowly witnessing how she was fading more and more into a transparency wrapped completely in crimson light. Rin wasn't moving at all, and when Maki tried to meet her savior's eyes, all that she saw was shock and confusion upon realizing what was happening to her.

 _What— What's going on again?!_

After a few seconds of the blinding light and confused gasps, Maki finally disappeared on Rin's arms.

* * *

" _The girl of legend and her savior tried to escape from the capital guards, but they were found just as easy even before they truly earned their safety…"_

… _Where am I?_

" _All of a sudden, the girl started glowing in red and…"_

 _That's… That's Hanayo's voice!_

Maki tried to search where her best friend's voice was coming from. Hanayo's voice was so loud and clear that it sounded like the brunette was just speaking directly onto Maki's ear. She desperately searched for Hanayo, turning her head everywhere until she finally realized that she was flying – floating – inside a hollow place of nothing but clean white. Her blank surroundings started to have smudges of the red light after a while, and soon, within a blink, Maki found herself floating inside her room.

"HANAYO!"

" _Her savior didn't know what to make of the girl but she still…"_

"Hanayo! I'm here! I don't know what's going on but look up here!" Maki shouted frantically, even trying to move her arms and legs to hopefully catch the attention of her best friend. "Hanayo!"

To her disappointment, Hanayo wasn't looking up, and that was when it dawned on Maki that her best friend couldn't hear any of her calls. The alarming view of Hanayo reading the book of the Universe of the Four Gods inside her room also began to make sense, letting Maki realize and accept the truth that she had been denying.

Every word that she heard from Hanayo, whether it came from her friend's mouth out loud or just a narration from her head that Maki could hear for some reason, it all sounded awfully too familiar. The words stitched together were so similar to everything that was happening to Maki by far in Konan Country, and it was nothing but very accurate to say the least.

"… I'm really inside that book…"

Suddenly, the pulling sensation was now beginning to drag her down again in her acceptance of the realization. The warm shade of red appeared around her for the third time and Maki just knew that she was being sucked back into that bewitched book once more. Everything around her moved like a movie in rewind and before she realized it, she was already back from where she left off.

"Did you see that?!" said one of the guards.

"That girl disappeared and reappeared in the red light!" another one shouted.

Maki was now back in Rin's arms, and the capital guards swarming them sported nothing but utter bewilderment in their eyes. She quickly turned her head to face Rin, only to be greeted by a stunned expression that held a slight tinge of…

Was that regret?

"Maki…" Rin breathed in the softest of her voice, deeply in contrast to the grieve situation they were in. "You really are _her_ …"

An opening in the circle of capital guards was formed, making way for an armored woman to walk with much pride to where Rin and Maki stared frozen at each other. Hands folded on her chest and head held high, Lieutenant General Nico Yazawa, the second highest-ranking officer of the Konan Military Forces, spoke in her most commanding voice.

"You troublemakers better not think of doing any more of your funny business or I'll have you both beheaded here at once. You're coming with me to the palace and _that_ is an order."

* * *

.

A/N: I had some personal struggles in finishing this chapter :v If it feels awkward on some parts or if it's so bad in general, please forgive *bows*


	4. The Imperial Palace

A/N: Hello! I never thought I'd see the next chapter of this story again (as what most of you probably thought as well lol). But, here it is! \o/ I won't even try explaining or defending myself why it took sooooo long, but I'll have you know that I'm just very lame. Haha. Sorry. I just hope I haven't lost the few readers of this crapola, though... huhu.

So, without further ado, here's a new chapter of RinMaki moments (finally), and more of Nicoknee being the terror lieutenant that she is (not really).

Please enjoy even for just a little bit. *bows*

* * *

 **Chapter Four: The Imperial Palace**

 _"You're going to be a doctor, Maki. That's final."_

 _"But Papa!"_

 _"Maki-chan, this is for the best."_

 _"Mama, no, I want to be a pianist! How can you not see that it's my dream?"_

 _"Your dream will never come true anymore, Maki-chan. You're stuck inside this book forever..."_

 _"Stuck... forever? Hanayo, don't say that!"_

 _"You broke our promise, Maki-chan. You said you'll always be with me but... you left me all alone here. Forever..."_

 _"No! I'll get out of here! Don't go, Hanayo! Please!"_

"DON'T GO!"

Maki shot her eyes open, rapidly panting huge amounts of air like a fish out of the water.

All of that was... everything was only...

A dream?

 _Thank god_ , she sighed heavily in relief after finally getting a grip. For a moment there Maki was almost convinced that everything was actually occurring in her reality, considering how that particular scene with her parents already did happen to her several times in the past.

"Hey, my arm is dying, you know..."

Finally realizing that she wasn't alone, Maki faced the direction of the voice and was half-relieved to see someone familiar in yet another unfamiliar place. Rin was seated beside her with a pained expression, and being the doctor-to-be that she unfortunately was, this sparked the urge for Maki to ask what was causing it.

"Rin? Why are you... Aah!" Maki instantly released Rin's arm in panic as she moved away slightly to open a space between them. Apparently, she had both her arms snaked tightly on Rin's poor one the entire time, leaving them too closely positioned much to Maki's horror.

"Y'know, I get that you're scared and all that but you could've at least showed some mercy on me," Rin commented in discomfort as she tried massaging her recently claimed arm. It hadn't been very long since they were thrown to the palace dungeons by Nico's orders, and not even a good two minutes had passed after they sat on the cold floor when Maki just fell asleep beside her like a log.

"S- Sorry." Maki dipped her head to avoid Rin's eye contact, also to keep herself from revealing how she was flustered of the mental image of their position while she was asleep. As cold and aloof as she normally was, Maki obviously wasn't a fan of skinship.

"Nah, it's fine," Rin shrugged. "You're a pretty noisy sleeper, though. Bad dream?"

 _The worst_ , Maki wanted to say. She just nodded reluctantly, however, and decided to study her surroundings for the first time since waking up.

"Wh- Where are we now?"

"Still in the infamous palace dungeons," Rin said, also taking the cue to look around the dim prison cell that trapped them underground. No one else seemed to be locked up in the other prison cells, which was really not surprising since only high-profile criminals were supposed to be there.

Not that they were one for being in the dungeons, no.

"You know, we sure were lucky the midget officer didn't kill us right there and then at the market," Rin smirked at the memory and crossed her arms to her chest as she spoke. "I always hear around the capital how that small person was supposed to be scary and all, but I guess she took an interest in us because of your red light."

Oh. Right. There was also the red light incident to think of. How she was able to emit that light around herself and disappear, Maki didn't know. Heck, even her teleportation – only to see Hanayo reading the darn Chinese book she found in the library – was a lot worse of a mystery, a big letdown for making her think that she had somehow made it back to her world already. Everything just got weirder and harder to comprehend as time went by, and it did not help that she just had to cause a commotion in public because of that cursed light.

"You don't think I'm weird now, do you?" Maki looked at Rin uneasily, the events of earlier that day replaying in her head. No matter how she looked at it, it was her own fault that they got sent to the dungeons.

"Well, I don't think you're weird but you're still suspicious to me," Rin answered. Since it was Maki who started, she might as well do some probing of her own now, she thought. "So what was up with that red light you had there anyway, huh? I've never seen anything like that before and here I thought my glowing symbol was freaky. Is there something here you're not telling me? Some hidden powers you have? Who are you, really?"

Triggered by Rin's accusatory tone, Maki replied irritably. "Do I look like I know what's been happening to me? If I was aware of any powers like that don't you think I could have saved myself from this place already? Stop being so inquisitive, you're so annoying!"

Rin, admittedly surprised of the outburst, could only remain silent.

"No, wait—" Maki immediately realized how she just spoke to her savior and looked away again. The frustration was clearly getting to her already, and now she just took it out on the only person who'd been helping her in this godforsaken place. "I- I'm sorry. I'm just... I didn't mean that..." she sighed regretfully.

Although she was more than positive now that Maki was the actual girl of legend, Rin still cannot deny that she was feeling more conflicted than ever over the lost girl. She could tell, from the mumbling that she purposely listened to while Maki was asleep, that the girl in strange clothing had her fair share of problems, ones that were closely similar to her own that she almost thought Maki knew them all. It never even looked as if Maki was aware of who she was supposed to be in this world if Rin had to be honest, so it all but defeats her hidden dislike towards the legendary priestess, especially with how frustrated the girl sounded just now.

Why on Suzaku's name would she even hate Maki for just being innocently tied with the same fate as her? She seemed interesting and likable enough as a person, Rin thought.

Just as Rin was about to finally respond, two imperial guards unfortunately arrived and interrupted their conversation. With one of them holding a fire torch in his hand, the men had no particular expressions on their faces, except maybe a slight curiosity on what the girls were initially whispering about at one corner of the cramped room.

"You, girl with the red hair," the one holding the torch said, tipping his head over to Maki's direction. "The lieutenant has requested your presence before her at the council room. Get up from there now and we'll escort you to the palace."

"Me?" Maki shared a look with Rin first, her brows connected midway from worry once again.

"Yes. Now hurry it up, the lieutenant does not like to be kept waiting."

Doing as told despite the confusion, Maki promptly prepared to stand to her feet but Rin suddenly pulled her to a stop.

"Wait a minute." The orange-haired girl had her eyes pinned on both guards behind the steel bars of their prison cell. "Why only her? What about me?"

"It's the lieutenant's orders," the other guard unlocking the cell replied plainly.

"But my friend here needs assistance! She can't go alone with you guys," Rin sounded distressed. "You have to take me with her!"

Both the guards stopped to stare questioningly at Rin, and then Maki. "If she's injured, we can assist her with the walking. We don't need you to come with her."

"No, no, no, you don't understand. You see, my good friend here doesn't like men," Rin smiled apologetically to the guards as she gave a quick nudge on Maki's side. "She can probably walk fine now, but she's still tired and she might trip on the way up. She ain't gonna let you guys touch her if that happens, y'know. You heard about the red light she had at the market, didn't ya? It's very dangerous if you make her mad. She can kill you both! In a snap!"

The guards, although hesitant, appeared alarmed. "Oi. I-Is that true? Red hair girl?"

"Huh?" Maki was shocked to the bone to even process anything. Did Rin just seriously say she didn't like men? What the heck was her savior babbling about?!

"Just say yes, Maki," Rin whispered ever so slyly as she gripped on Maki's arm tighter as a signal. "Play along with me. I have a plan."

"A plan?"

"Yeah. Now go tell them yes before they notice."

Finally giving up, Maki just sighed defeatedly and replied to the guards, "Yes. I am very dangerous and I will only come with you if she's with me. Sorry."

Obviously the guards pondered on Maki's statement as they fell on a minute of silence. Maki, too, had a chance to stare at Rin disbelievingly, trying to question the life out of her companion, but all she got was a playful wink.

"Fine then," the guard with the torch huffed upon coming to a decision. "We'll take the other girl with us but we have to tie both your hands. You are still suspected criminals for thievery. Palace rules."

"That's okay!" Rin nodded enthusiastically and jumped up to her feet. Holding out her hands to Maki, she helped the confused redhead to stand.

As soon as the entrance to the cell was fully opened, the two girls walked out in orderly fashion and followed their assigned escorts. One guard was walking ahead of them while the other was on their back, sandwiching them in the middle of a rather boring stride.

"Hey, thanks for playing along," Rin muttered as they continued to march out of the dungeons' premises in a slow pace. Her head was leaning towards the right where Maki was.

Moving only her eyes, Maki replied, "What exactly are you planning here?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I'll just take down these guards once I see an opening later. Then we'll escape."

"Escape?"

"Oi! Keep walking quietly!" the guard behind them reprimanded. Rin straightened herself at that, but she later went back to Maki after a few steps.

"Yeah, as in get outta here so we can get you home already as promised. You in, lost girl?"

Honestly, it didn't sound like a good idea to attempt another escape after being sent to jail, but considering all the events that happened to Maki during the day, there never was a good idea that came out of herself either. It was a relief that Rin was still willing to help her after all the trouble she had caused, but then again, if they get caught for the second time and inside the palace no less, they might not be as lucky anymore as the first one.

Maki certainly wanted to keep herself alive until she found a permanent solution to her dilemma.

"Just how sure are you that your plan would work? What if we get caught again? I need my head where it belongs, Rin," Maki frowned, remembering the lieutenant's threat of beheading them.

"Trust me on this one. I still remember the way we got in here from earlier. It's definitely a foolproof Rin Hoshizora plan, I'm telling ya!"

 _Huh. Foolproof, she says_. Maki looked as if she didn't have much of a choice.

"Fine. But make sure we'll both get out. Alive."

"Of course, of course! Excellent choice, by the way," Rin smiled. Not long after, they were finally back in the palace grounds.

"Don't worry, Maki. Just follow my lead," Rin shifted her head forward with a determined look. "I promise I'll take care of you."

Well, hopefully there won't be any disruptive red light anymore to get them busted this time.

* * *

The walk down the palace halls was somewhat interesting, Maki pondered as her eyes wandered around. For a while now they had been taking the path of a long-stretching hallway that had floors polished to its finest, and the furnishings she'd seen here and there were evidently rare and expensive from their mere shine alone. It was like walking on the north wing of the Nishikino manor where most of their family's heirlooms were displayed, only this time she was on a much larger and quieter one, if that was even possible.

Rin, on the other hand, hadn't made a move yet on her foolproof escape plan, or so Maki had thought. Rin had been silent the entire time since they stepped foot on the palace grounds, and it was bothering the redhead even for just a little than she'd openly admit. The only things Maki noticed so far was how the girl was staring down on their tied hands for a minute or two, and the occasional narrowing of her playful cat eyes whenever they made a turn now and then.

It wasn't really that unsettling, but Maki was more than interested on how Rin's plan would go, of course.

"Ne, ne, _ojisan,_ are we there yet?" Rin suddenly asked the guard in front of them in the most casual tone, snapping Maki out of her musings. Was Rin finally going to start?

"We're almost there. Why? Are you scared, little girl?" the guard mocked.

"Well, yeah. Just a little." Rin answered in a heartbeat. Her voice squeaked a bit higher than normal, making her sound like... a little girl. "I can't help it, you see. I'm scared for you guys' well-being."

"Our well-being? Why are you—"

The guard was just about to turn his head to glare at Rin, but he wasn't able to do so anymore as his vision suddenly swirled to the opposite direction due to a ringing kick to his face.

Yep, Rin had begun her move.

"You!" the other guard walking behind them was alerted and charged straight to Rin's direction. He unsheathed the sword hanging on his waist, and he quickly lifted it with the intention of wounding Rin.

"Move away, Maki." She heard the orange-haired girl tell her with urgency. Without thinking twice, Maki followed as told and stepped back quickly to the nearest wall to her, safely away from where another fight was ensuing in front of her.

Talk about deja vu.

After Maki was clear from the way, Rin immediately faced the raging guard with the sword. She placed her tied hands on where the blade was coming down on her, and much to her satisfaction it successfully cut the rope into two without scratching herself at all.

"Thanks for that!" Rin exclaimed with a smile.

"Why, you! I'll kill you!" the fumed guard shouted as he held another attack on the younger opponent. Of course, being the skilled fighter that she was, Rin was able to land another one of her kicks in a quick second, then she topped it with an uppercut as soon as the bigger man struggled to maintain his balance from the curt blow.

This knocked out the sword-bearing guard, while the other one had already picked himself up from being hit a while ago.

"See ya soon, _ojisan_!" Rin said before hitting the back of his head.

That move finished it all.

Her mind still catching up on the fast-paced events, Maki had her mouth agape in awe, but it was really more in her disbelief on what just happened. Sure, this was the second time she saw Rin take down men who are clearly bigger in size than the both of them, but these imperial guards had actual swords. Maki wasn't sure if she should be thankful or if she had to start praying for their lives already, for she still knew that there must be someone who must have heard the guards' shouts during the fight.

"Don't worry, I'm sure there won't be anyone who'd come here right away," Rin said as she walked over to Maki, a confident smile on her lips. She started untying the rope on the girl's wrists. "I made sure to kick their butts at this part of the hallway, you know. There weren't any guards stationed nearby on the other hallways we've passed so far. It should be the same on the next ones ahead."

"O- okay? So now what do we do?" Maki tried to regain her composure after getting her own hands freed.

"Heh. We walk out to the palace gates like the _tourists_ we are, of course! Come on!"

* * *

"Tch. What is taking those imbeciles so long?" A female of black hair tied neatly into a bun tapped her fingers impatiently on the table, her frown already deeply carved on her temple from waiting longer than expected. "They should be here by now, damn it."

Hissing in annoyance, Nico went back to staring unamused on the council room's doors. This wait time was already beyond ridiculous on any sane person's standards, she thought. Should she have fetched the prisoner herself? But that wasn't a job for someone of her rank, _duh_. No way was she going to go underground to where lowlifes were supposed to be. Even if the girl was supposedly – or probably, might be – _that_ person, it still wasn't a big enough reason for the proud lieutenant to do a simple task meant for imperial guards.

"Instead of sulking and cursing like that, we could make use of the time better if you'll fill me in about the situation more clearly than you already have, Nico."

Turning to the person who just spoke across her, Nico mentally slapped herself for almost forgetting that she wasn't alone. "Hey, I told you that's all I know. The girl is lost, she has out-of-this-world clothing and she gave off a red light and then disappeared for a while," she stated a bit defensively. "The main reason I need you here is because you're the only other person I know who can confirm her identity. I can't go to His Majesty the Emperor to report something this big without solid proof now, can I? I need you to back me up."

Nico prepared herself for a sharp rebuttal, the usual one that she gets whenever she was being demanding, but all she got this time was a look.

She was sure, though, that she saw a glint of anticipation on the other's amber eyes.

"Lieutenant Yazawa, pardon my intrusion," a voice from beyond the closed doors said. Sighing not from relief, Nico quickly commanded the man to come in.

 _About time, you idiots!_

"Lieutenant, we ha—" the imperial guard cut his words off after suddenly noticing the presence of Nico's company. "Ah- General. I apologize for the interruption," he knelt on one knee and bowed to the officers.

"Get on with the update! Why are you the one reporting? Where is the prisoner?" Nico impatiently questioned. Unfortunately, after all the waiting they did, the guard speaking to them at the moment wasn't one of the men she sent to the dungeons.

"Yes, about that, Lieutenant. Two of our guards were found unconscious on the eastern hallway just now. They didn't have any visible injuries, but there were ropes found nearby that were presumably from the two prisoners."

"WHAT?!" Nico did not dare to hold her voice back. The imperial guard visibly froze at that and remained in his position with his head down for safety measures. "And what do you mean by two prisoners? I only asked to fetch one of them!"

"I- I've been informed that someone saw them earlier and they had two prisoners with them, Lieutenant..."

"Gaah! Useless! Useless as always!" Nico finally stood up from her seat, her red armor clinking loudly as she tried to calm herself with deep breaths.

"Um- I already deployed a search team inside the palace, L-Lieutenant. But if there is anything else you'd want us to do—"

"Why, yes, I'll tell you what I want — I want you _all_ to find those two brats before I find them myself, or else I'm sending you lot to the dungeons and I'll bury you with your useless heads sticking out. Now move it!"

"Y-Y-Yes ma'am! Please excuse me!" the guard quickly got up to his feet and made his way out. His shout of command can be faintly heard inside the council room, and Nico had decided, much to her chagrin, to start looking for the troublemakers herself.

"I know, I know, I have already disturbed your precious time and then this happened," Nico faced the still composed general and put her hands on either sides of her waist exasperatedly. "I really want to talk to you about changing _everyone_ in the guards' roster right now, but as you can see I have to look for the prison brats myself. I'll make this quick, so please, _please_ stay put and wait for my return, will you? I'm practically doing this for your sake so you better be here when I get back."

The general, still glued onto the wooden chair, audibly sighed, although it was more of a defeated one than annoyed while knowing how persistent Nico can be when she was pissed off.

"If you are not back here in five minutes then I'm gone," the general said, very smooth with the words. "That is an order from your superior by the way, _Lieutenant._ Be certain to deliver accordingly this time."

Snorting at the remark, Nico rolled her eyes jokingly but still lowered her head in respect regardless. "As you wish, _General_ ," she replied as she finally walked out of the room.

Unbeknownst to Nico, however, that not even a minute had passed when the general also left the council room's premises.

* * *

Having roamed for a while on Rin's lead, the two girls already created a safe distance from where they left the guards knocked out on the floor. Conveniently, Rin was good in remembering directions despite only going through the place once.

"It's been some time so I'm sure someone's already found those two sleepers by now," Rin said as she cautiously tried to catch any suspicious noises nearby. Clutching onto Maki's arm, she doubled up their pace and added, "We better hurry it up, Maki. They might be on our tails soon."

Needless to say and _always_ coincidental to her words, a series of hurried footsteps and shouting from a group of imperial guards resounded on the other end of the hall.

Capture the prisoners at once, that was what Maki heard.

"Oh, shoot! Run!" Rin exclaimed.

Reaching another turn, Rin and Maki quickly changed directions in the hopes of getting further away from the searching guards. The exit to the palace was almost at arm's reach already, but another group showed up right in front of them.

"Prisoners! Stay where you are!"

"I don't think so!"

Rin, ever the daredevil, quickly took on the imperial guards who blocked the doors to their exit. Maki remained unknowing of what to do, until she heard Rin calling out to her.

"Maki! Go now!" her savior said while evading an attack from one of the guards. There were only five men as of now, but the ones from behind them were already approaching. Fast.

"What do you mean go?! What about you?!" Maki shrieked, head turning left and right in panic of the scene in which they were being sandwiched again by furious men with swords.

"Just go already! Someone needs to hold them off!" Grunt, punch. "I'll make sure to follow after I-" And another punch, and grunt. "-after I finish these guys!"

"But Rin!"

"I said go!" Rin shouted again, making sure that the path to the door was already clear. She could see Maki biting her lip with a conflicted frown, almost looking determined not to go anywhere, but thankfully the redhead made a run for it at the last second before the imperial guards from the other side had finally reached them.

 _Screw it,_ Rin cursed to herself and removed the loosened black cloth wrapped on her head. She had no idea why she just did all that, but frankly what she was sure of was how she felt that she needed Maki to be safe now more than her.

Unluckily though, and as what she had assumed from the start, Rin had been easily outnumbered and surrounded by the guards even before she was able to make another move.

She knew this, and yet she still wanted to play the hero again in Maki's eyes.

"Give it up already, kid," one of the guards said, their swords pointed at her neck closely.

Rin just raised both her hands and smiled defeatedly.

"Okay. You got me this time."

* * *

 _That idiot! That big, big, idiot!_ Maki couldn't help but clench her fists in frustration as she ran through the corridors nearest to the palace gardens. First of all, it was very stupid of Rin to decide on her own - to be left behind - when they could've just ran away together when the exit was clear. Secondly, what was Rin actually thinking back there?! Yes, Maki got away from their pursuers and she was practically safe, but now she had no idea where to go or where to find the way to the palace gates. Rin was the one handling the directions for them all this time, so why did that _idiot_ even think she could survive alone? While separated from her in this ridiculously huge palace?

Maki was just about to come up with her third point on Rin being an idiot when she suddenly heard the set of dreaded footsteps again. It was still a bit far from her, but the fact that she was able to hear it meant that there were a lot of them tracing her path now. Her adrenaline kicking in, she jumped across the cemented railings, ignoring the fact that it was about two or three feet high from the ground, and she slouched herself beside the corridors' wall while hoping that the guards' peripherals wouldn't catch her down there.

"Do not stop searching until you find the other one! That's the lieutenant's orders!"

Soon enough, the noise had begun fading from Maki's earshot, and, thankfully, no one was smart enough to check from beyond the corridors' railings where she hid. Slowly then she got up, back arched and her feet light as she attempted to walk again, but—

"What are you doing in there?"

Maki's body instantly froze.

It wasn't a voice familiar to her. It was not Rin's, definitely not, and it also wasn't from a man so it couldn't possibly be one of the imperial guards that passed by earlier.

The midget lieutenant, perhaps?

"Do you need any help, young lady? Are you lost?"

No. That tone and way of speaking couldn't be from the lieutenant. It wasn't high-pitched, and it surely wasn't as commanding as how Nico projected herself to be. Finally giving in, Maki slowly shifted to face her calm-spoken enquirer, her features painted of nervousness and fear, and she was surprised - or not really, oddly enough - to see another person clad in the same red armor as the lieutenant.

It was a woman of striking stature, amber eyes, and sea blue hair.


End file.
